


just a bit of magic

by namgismiles



Series: Like Magic in Your Blood [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adopted Harry Potter, Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Alternate Universe - No Voldemort, Developing Friendships, Developing Relationship, Draco Is In Love With Harry, F/M, Family Feels, Family Fluff, Fluff, Friendship, Gen, Harry Is In Love With Magic, Harry is Lily's Son Before Anything Else, Hogwarts Era, M/M, Minister for Magic Tom Riddle, Muggle Lily, Muggle/Wizard Relations, Muggleborn!Harry, Pining Draco Malfoy, Pre-Slash, Single Parent Lily, Sister-Sister Relationship, Slytherin Harry Potter, So Draco Pulls Harry's Pigtails, Time Skips, Unrepentant Fluff, What-If, Wizarding Traditions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-16
Updated: 2018-01-16
Packaged: 2019-03-04 17:03:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 11,262
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13369194
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/namgismiles/pseuds/namgismiles
Summary: As Lily closed her eyes, her hair flying in the wind, auburn and gold in the sunlight, she was imagining dragons, witches on brooms, and all other magical and wonderful things.But, even as she dreamed, she knew none of it was real.***Or, a world in which Lily really did have no magic... but her son has all the magic.





	just a bit of magic

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I do not, in any form, own Harry Potter and any of its related works... unfortunately. All recognizable characters, ideas, etc., belong to J.K. Rowling. I only borrowed the characters/world and answered a what-if :)

Pre-Hogwarts

 

Lily tilted her head to the side, her auburn locks falling like a waterfall about her face, and looked up at her sister, who had her brown hair pulled into a side braid that highlighted the strands that looked golden in the sunlight.

 

In that moment, Lily imagined, Petunia looked like a _princess_ , the one that had spun gold out of hay.  Petunia was utterly _beautiful_ , with her slender face, prominent cheekbones, and thin, pink lips. 

 

Petunia looked up from her flower gathering and her face went promptly pink at the way her sister was looking at her.  A bit annoyed that Lily’s _gaze_ had caused her to lose track of how many flowers she had found, she bit out, “What, Lily?”

 

Lily grinned and held out the basket to Petunia, “You look like a princess, Tuney.”

 

Petunia rolled her eyes, even as her face reddened in pleasure, “I told Mum that too many fairytales would give you _ideas_.  A princess, _honestly_.”  She snorted out loud, but she squeezed Lily’s wrist and smiled at her softly, then went back to flower picking.

 

Lily kept her smile on her face as she let her gaze wander about the park, taking in the other kids playing and the swing set that _beckoned_ her.  But Petunia had won the race to the park, which meant _she_ got to decide what they’d do first, so Lily would have to wait to swing, to close her eyes and pretend that she was _flying_. 

 

Suddenly, as she looked away from the swings, her eyes were caught by ebony, fathomless ones.  The boy was pale and had dark hair that framed his face in a way that suggested he had barely cared to comb through it, which made Lily wonder why no one told him to comb it properly, which is what Tuney made _her_ do, _every time_.  Even when they were just at home and no one would see her ‘rat’s nest that she called hair.’  Sisters were simply too much trouble, really, even if they did look like princesses. 

 

She smiled at the boy, but her smile fell away when the boy sneered at her and turned away from her.

 

Hesitantly, she looked back at her sister and asked quietly, “Who’s that, Tuney?  That boy over there, the one over by the big climbing tree?”

 

Petunia looked up and immediately found who her sister was asking about.  She straightened up and forced Lily’s eyes to meet hers, “You’re _not_ to talk to that Snape boy, understand, Lily?  He’s _trouble_.  He comes from, from _bad blood_.  I heard Mum telling Dad that the whole family is bad stock and wouldn’t know manners if it came up and introduced itself.  Promise me you won’t talk to him, Lily Marie Evans.”

 

Lily wanted to argue, but she knew that look in her sister’s eyes, so she simply nodded and replied, “I promise, Tuney.  I won’t talk to him… but what does _bad blood_ mean?”

 

Petunia shrugged and placed the flowers in the basket Lily was carrying, “I dunno, I just heard Mum saying it.”

 

Lily giggled and eagerly gave the basket to Petunia, knowing it was _time_ , time to _fly_.  “Race you to the swings, Tuney!  If I get there first, you have to push me!”

 

Petunia grinned and grabbed her skirts, running as fast as her legs could carry, but Lily was a girl on a mission and she resembled a red bullet more than a little girl as she ran to the swings and eagerly hopped on.  Petunia grumbled good-naturedly, but she smiled and pushed her sister as hard and as high as she could.

 

As Lily closed her eyes, her hair flying in the wind, auburn and gold in the sunlight, she was imagining dragons, witches on brooms, and all other _magical_ and _wonderful_ things.

 

But, even as she dreamed, she knew none of it was real.

 

On the other side of the park, the boy with dark eyes watched longingly, eagerly taking in the girl with hair like fire and a laugh like bells swing happily and demand for her sister to push her harder.

 

Lily Evans would go on thinking magic wasn’t _really_ real, at least not beyond the stories she read and was told.

 

Petunia Evans would go on being a good older sister to Lily, protective, loving, and bossy all at once.

 

Severus Snape would go on counting down the years until he could go to Hogwarts and make friends with people _just like him_.

 

They would never know what could have been if Lily had had just a bit more magic to go around in her blood.

 

***

 

“Oh, _Tuney_ , surely you can do better than him!  He looks like a _whale_!  It’s like when he enters the room, he just _swallows_ everyone up, and not in a commanding presence way, but more like if he could, he would just gobbled us all up.”

 

Petunia rolled her eyes, even as she suppressed a smile, and daintily picked up her cup of tea and took a sip, “Honestly, Lily, you haven’t matured a bit, even after you graduated and entered uni.  I despair of you ever growing up.”

 

Lily grinned and pushed her hair back behind her ear and noisily slurped her tea, delighting in the glare that earned her, “Oh, Tuney, you wouldn’t know what to do with your life if you couldn’t tell me what to do anymore.” 

 

Petunia rolled her eyes but smiled at her sister.  She hadn’t seen her for a few months now, what with Lily being busy in uni and Petunia having already graduated and on the hunt for job openings at the hospital.  Hopefully, after finding a hospital job, she could go back and study for a nursing position, but, really, any job was good right now… especially with Mum and Dad’s health so poor.  Petunia forced those depressing thoughts away and instead focused on Lily, Lily with her vibrant smile and hair that demanded to be noticed.

 

Lily looked good, even though Lily had complained in her phone calls about all the work and the incompetent professors she had to deal with. 

 

Life was treating her sister well and Petunia was glad to see it, even as she opened her mouth to deliver a scathing remark about how utterly _thin_ Lily was and how looking like a skeleton was in no way attractive.

 

Throwing her head back, Lily laughed and all the eyes in the café fell upon her. 

 

For a moment, Petunia felt a bit of jealousy rise up in her, at how utterly beautiful Lily looked without even _trying_ , but then Petunia remembered the girl with the skinned knees and elbows who would follow her around like a puppy and spun tales about mermaids that were vicious and squids that were giant but friendly. 

 

Lily is her little sister and Petunia couldn’t be prouder of the woman she was becoming.

 

***

 

“He went down on one knee, right there in the middle of the park, not even noticing the _ant hill_ , and I was freaking out knowing how he is about ants and then I saw that he was _pulling out a ring_!  He started to tell me how beautiful I am and how I had caught his eye and held it all throughout Uni and how he never regretted courting me properly and how he wants me to be his wife for the rest of his _life_ and how he wants to have children with me, and I’m in tears by then, of course, but then he sort of stops midsentence and his hand starts _twitching_ and I completely forgot about the ants by then, so I was so confused, cause who just stops mid-proposal, you know?  Then he _drops_ the ring and jumps to his feet with a little girlish scream and starts running, shaking and patting his legs all frantically and I burst out laughing, even though I really shouldn’t have since I remembered the ants by then!  So we ended up going to hospital cause he ran into a tree trying to shake off the ants… he ended up with a concussion and I ended up with a ring by the end of the day, so win-win, I say!”

 

Petunia just stares at Lily for a moment before bursting out into uncontrollable giggles, “O-only _you_ , Lily!  Only you would end up putting your new fiancé in the _hospital_ while he’s proposing!”

 

Lily’s grinning and laughing, even as she protests, “But I forgot, Tuney!  How do you remember about the ants when the love of your life is proposing!”

 

Petunia shakes her head, but she’s still smiling as she pulls Lily into a hug and whispers into her ear, “I’m so happy you found Michael Porter.  He’s a good man.”

 

Lily hugs her back tightly and nods into Petunia’s shoulder, “Yes, I’m so happy I found someone like him… just like I’m happy you’ve found an equally good man, future Mrs. Dean.”

 

Petunia smiled and pulled back from the hug slightly, “I’m glad you convinced me away from Vernon, I don’t know what I was thinking, really.  Henry is a good man and I’m lucky to have him.  Did you tell Mum?”

 

Lily pulled away completely with a sigh and sat back down, “I told Mum, but I’m not sure she really understood it, Tuney… you know how she’s been since Dad…”

 

Petunia sat down right next to Lily and wrapped an arm around her waist, “Shh, this is a happy moment.  Mum and Dad would have been happy and proud with both our choices.” 

 

They basked in the silence for a few precious moments before Petunia, bravely, prepared herself for the onslaught of words, “So, have you thought about wedding colors yet?”

 

“Oh!  I thought you’d never ask!  I was thinking –”

 

***

 

Petunia stood beside Lily, a hand gripping Lily’s tightly and the other cradling the little bundle in her arms as Lily silently grieved, watching the casket be lowered into the freshly dug dirt. 

 

They stood silently, side by side, even as the last of the well-wishers left, sending their condolences and offers of ‘call me if you need _any_ help, you poor dears.’ 

 

Petunia whispered softly into the fading twilight, “You always have me, Lily.”

 

Lily let out a bitter laugh, even as she tightened her grip on Petunia’s hand, and replied, “I know I do, Tuney.  I always have you…  I just thought Harry would have him for a little longer.  They always say that there’s a chance of dying in the line of duty, but I never really thought…”

 

Petunia turned to face Lily, waiting until Lily’s watery green eyes met her hazel ones, and said fiercely, “Harry might have to grow up without a dad, but he has an amazing mom, an aunt, an uncle, and a cousin.  He’s not _alone_ , and,” here Petunia smiled lovingly at Lily, “You are more than enough of a parent for him.  He will never want for anything, my dear Lily.”

 

Lily smiled until she burst out into a sob, her face falling into her hands and shoulders shaking from the utter _pain_ of it all.

 

Petunia stepped away and let her have her moment.

 

She looked down at the angelic sleeping face in her arms and whispered softly, “Harry Michael Porter, you are so utterly loved by us all.  Your mum went rather mad while she was waiting for you, buying too many things and reading too many books, driving the rest of us mad as well.  And your _dad_ , let me tell you about him… Oh, even though Lily had protested, he had already bought you a little police uniform for you, saying it was never too early to have you follow your old man, and he talked about how adorable you’d look in it…  Your dad was a good man and a hero, Harry.”

 

***

 

“I… I think I’m going mad, Tuney.  No, I’m serious.  The weirdest things have been happening and I don’t even know if I’m imagining it or what.”

 

Petunia smirked at her from behind her cup of tea but forced herself to look serious and nodded encouragingly towards Lily, who was wide-eyed and wringing her hands.  “I want to say that you’ve always been rather mad and you’re just noticing it, but… what are you talking about exactly?”

 

Lily smiled genially at her sister, taking in how sophisticated and happy she appeared with her life.  Yes, Petunia Evans Dean was _happy_ and that made _Lily_ happy.  “Well, Tuney, so, like, the other day I placed Harry in the crib and went to the kitchen real quick to grab his bottle to feed him right?  I turn to come back and I find him in the living room in his playpen!  He looked up with these innocent eyes and giggled at me!  I swear, he looked like he knew something I didn’t!”

 

Petunia snorted and shook her head, “Lily, maybe it’s the lack of sleep, honestly.  He’s just barely turned one, I highly doubt he got up, climbed out of his crib, then crawled to his playpen, climbed up it, got in, and started playing by the time you went to the kitchen and back.”

 

“But that’s just it!  That wasn’t the only time!  Another time, I was playing with him and pointing out colors to him… he turned his hair _blue_ , Tuney!  Then when I just stared at him, he sort of wrinkled his face and turned his hair to _my hair color_ then giggled and turned it back to his normal hair!” 

 

Petunia just stared at her poor sister and thought to herself that perhaps she should look after Harry for a while if her sister was so tired she was _hallucinating_.  She leaned forwards and patted Lily on the back, “There, there, you’re not mad… how about I watch Harry for you this weekend?  Dudley’s been asking for ‘wittle Hawwy,’ as he says it.  Isn’t it just adorable how well they get along?”

 

Lily smiled at Petunia and nodded, “Yes, maybe a break would be nice.  And aww!  They’re just the cutest together!  I love how Dudley always glares at us if Harry starts crying, like he holds us responsible and will beat us up if we don’t stop Harry’s crying!  The absolute sweetest thing ever!”

 

*****

 

First Year

 

_Harry Porter_

_The Blue Bedroom_

_7 Privet Drive_

_Little Whinging, Surrey_

 

“Mum!  I have a letter and it’s addressed to _me_!  Look!  Can I go show Dudley?”

 

Lily laughed as she wiped her hands on the dishtowel and said teasingly, “Aren’t you going to open it and see what it says first?”

 

Harry looked up, his green eyes shining and his chestnut hair curled around his cherub face, “Oh, can I?  Please, Mum?”

 

Smiling, she leaned down a pressed a kiss to her little boy’s cheek and murmured, “Of course, sweetheart.  It’s _your_ letter, after all.”

 

Harry protested half-heartedly at the kiss even as he eagerly started to open the envelope, carefully pulling the wax seal on the back and pulling out the letter in between.  He read it and then looked up, confused, at his mum and said, “Mum…  I don’t think I read it right.  Here, you read it.”

 

Lily took the letter and read it.  Then read it again.  Then read it one more time, for good measure.

 

She looked up, shocked, into equally shocked eyes, but before she could say anything, someone knocked at the door. 

 

Harry watched as his mother carefully placed the letter on the coffee table and slowly got up, walking towards the door as if in a daze.  She stood before the door, feeling as though nothing would ever be the same once she opened it, and Harry simply stood there, watching, wondering why his mum had that look on her face… as though she was _afraid_.  Which couldn’t be possible, could it?  His mum was invincible and amazing and all the good things, and people like her don’t get _scared_! 

 

Lily took in a deep breath and finally opened the door as the person knocked once more, a little more firmly and harder. 

 

The door opened and Lily’s opened her mouth to say hello, only to stop, speechless, as her eyes connected with those utterly familiar dark ones.  They stood motionless, staring at one another in various degrees of shock, until Harry walked up to the door and asked, “Who are _you_?” 

 

Lily’s face went bright red and she looked down at Harry, “Harry!  Your manners!  That’s not how you greet people!”  She looked back up and smiled, “Please, come in, ah, I dunno if you remember me, but we both grew up in Cokeworth.  My name is Lily Evans Porter.”   

 

Snape gracefully walked in, unconsciously straightening his muggle suit and exuding utter command as he followed them into the sitting room.  Harry scurried after his mother, feeling utterly confused by this strange man who had showed up and the weird letter that had said he was a… a…!      

 

“Yes, I do recall seeing you around occasionally.  Let me officially introduce myself.  I am Severus Snape, Potions Master, Potions Professor, and Slytherin Head of House at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.”

 

Lily gasped and sat down heavily on the sofa, “Wh-what?  Then that letter… it’s not a prank?”

 

Snape shook his head, seating himself on the armchair opposite to Lily, and said firmly, “No, your son is a wizard, specifically a Muggleborn.  Occasionally Muggles, that is, people without magic, like you, Mrs. Porter, have children who are born with magic.  It is unclear as to why this happens, but some speculate that it is due to someone having had magic earlier in the line and it manifesting later on in the descendants, or that Lady Magic simply gives magic to others when needed.”

 

She simply stared for a moment before looking over at Harry, who was still hovering uncertainly in the doorway, and smiling, beckoning him to come and sit beside her, “Oh, well, I… I always knew Harry was special.  He’d do these things sometimes that were just unexplainable.  I thought I was going mad, but then I just accepted that it was something that happened around Harry.”

 

Snape nodded and replied, “Yes, accidental magic occurs in all magical children, though non-magical parents often have no idea how to handle these occurrences.”  Snape glanced at the boy with the wild chestnut hair and wide emerald eyes and said softly, “It is good to see that you accepted him, even if you didn’t understand.”

 

Lily smiled and carded her fingers through Harry’s hair, “I love my son, magical or not, unexplainable events or anything else notwithstanding.” 

 

Harry blushed and folded in on himself, muttering, “Mum, you’re _embarrassing_ me.” 

 

“Well then, these are brochures and books to explain the Wizarding World to you.  If you need any further assistance, feel free to purchase more books on our outing to Diagon Alley, or perhaps ask me and I will answer to the best of my ability.”

 

She looked at him puzzled, “I’m sorry, what?  Our outing?  Thank you for the books, it looks informative and helpful, so I appreciate it.  But I’m not sure if I want Harry to go… this is a boarding school?”

 

Harry looked up at her, worried, and burst out, “Mum!  Please, please, can I go?  I’m _magical_ , a _wizard_!  I want to meet people just like me!  I want to learn magic!  Please?”

 

Lily looked down at Harry and caressed his cheek then opened her mouth to refuse once more, when she was interrupted, “While we could discuss options, Hogwarts is the best magical school in England and it is an honor for him to have gotten an acceptance letter from such a prestigious school.  Furthermore, he _does_ need education in magical matters as, if he were to go uneducated, his magic could end up building up when it goes unused.  It would lead to… _undesirable outcomes_ for your son, to the say the least, Mrs. Porter.”

 

“Please, call me Lily.  Oh.  Well.  In that case… can I get some time to think about it?”

 

He shook his head and responded, “I am afraid not, Mrs.… Lily.  I came so that I may guide you to the Wizarding World and help you to buy your son’s school items, answer any questions you have to ask, and ease your transition and understanding into your son’s world.” 

 

“Can I… can I tell my sister?  Is this something I have to keep secret?  Do I have to lie to Petunia about where my son will be at for most of the next… what…?”

 

“Seven years.  He will attend Hogwarts for seven years, Lily.  Yes, family members are allowed to know, though we stress the importance of keeping these matters as secret as possible.  As you can certainly assume, these matters would not be received well by the world at large.” 

 

“I understand.  I will only tell Petunia and her family.  It would cause a rift to lie about something so huge, otherwise.”

 

Snape stood and asked, “Shall we be on our way then?”

 

“Oh!  Ah, let me just get changed really quick.  I completely forgot to offer you tea!  Are you hungry, Severus?” 

 

Severus stood stock-still for a moment, taking in this vibrant woman with concerned green eyes, before letting himself relax and shook his head, his lips quirked slightly up, “No thank you, Lily.  I had assumed we could all eat in Diagon Alley before making the purchases.”

 

Lily smiled at him brilliantly, “That sounds wonderful, Severus.  Go on then, Harry.  Get dressed and grab your wallet.  Let me just get my purse and change into something else…”

 

***

 

“Perhaps Mr. Porter can go and get fitted for his robes while you and I go and buy his books and potions ingredients, then we can all go to buy his wand.”

 

Lily smiled down at Harry and pressed a quick kiss to his forehead and, before Harry could even react, speed walked away.

 

Harry indignantly huffed, but he forgot his annoyance in favor of walking to a store all by himself in _Diagon Alley_.

 

He entered the store and took in the beautiful bolts of fabric and the displays of robes on the mannequins. 

 

“Can I help you, my dear?”

 

Harry looked up with a shy smile and saw a woman with a large hat standing before a very blond haired boy on a podium.  They were both staring at him inquisitively, causing him to blush at the attention, and he replied softly, “I’m here to get fitted for my Hogwarts robes, ma’am… and some casual robes as well, if you please.  My mum thought it would be a good idea for more robes for the weekends and such.”

 

The woman smiled and gestured for him to step up to the podium beside the other boy, “Your mother sounds like a smart woman, young man.  Let me just fetch some supplies from the back and I’ll measure you right after.”

 

She walked off, leaving the two boys alone in the otherwise empty shop.

 

The blond boy turned to him and announced haughtily, “My name is Draco Malfoy, so you’re going to Hogwarts then?  Do you know what House you want to be Sorted into?”

 

Harry smiled at the other boy, his eyes shining in excitement, not noticing how the other boy’s face suddenly went pink and how he stopped breathing for a few moments, “Yes!  I’m so very excited for Hogwarts!  I’m not really sure which House I’ll be, but I think Gryffindor or Slytherin sounds nice.” 

 

Draco drew himself up and smirked at the boy, “I’ll be in Slytherin most certainly, it’s only the best House at Hogwarts!  My whole family was Sorted there, you know.”

 

Smiling politely, Harry nodded and replied, “That sounds nice.  It’s all rather incredible, isn’t it though?  I was walking down the street and I saw this woman just wave her wand and repair a broken window!”

 

Draco gaped and asked quietly, “A-are you a Mud-er, Muggleborn?”

 

Harry’s eyebrows raisedin surprise, but he replied, “Yes, of course.  I just learned about magic today.  And it’s amazing!  I’m guessing you always knew you were magical then?  What was that like then?”

 

The blond boy’s eyes were wide and his mouth opened and shut a few times before he whispered, “It was rather nice, knowing I always had magic, I suppose…”

 

Harry grinned at the other boy and said happily, “I can’t wait to learn _everything_! Do you think it’s possible to fly?  Oh, do you suppose I could maybe grow a tail?  The possibilities are _endless_ , aren’t they?” 

 

Draco nodded shakily and muttered to himself, “Yes… the possibilities are endless…”

 

***

 

“Well, that… Ollivander fellow was a real character, wasn’t he, Harry?”

 

Harry simply hummed in response, too caught up in admiring his new alder wood and phoenix feather wand.

 

Lily rolled her eyes and glanced over at Severus, her stoic but steady companion on this day where her whole world had turned upside down and sideways a couple times before plopping her into a new one altogether. 

 

She smiled at him and said, while Harry was still distracted, “Thank you for all your help and accompanying us today, Severus.  If you wouldn’t mind, could I perhaps Owl you sometimes?  I always regretted not speaking to you when we were children, and perhaps this is Fate driving us together now?”  Stepping forward, she raised her eyes to meet his, “Perhaps we could be friends now, Severus?  Cause I’d like that.”

 

Severus stared at her before nodding slowly, “I would be… agreeable to that as well, Lily.  You are always welcome to Owl me.”  He smirked, “Even if it is just with requests for me to divulge on your son’s adjustment.”

 

She giggled, “Even just officially meeting today, you know me too well already!” 

 

His lips quirked upwards and he nodded once more, “Shall I escort you home then?”

 

Shaking her head, she replied, “No, thank you though.  I think I’d like to wander with just Harry now, maybe grab dinner before we head back home.”

 

“Very well.  I shall look forward to greeting Mr. Porter upon his arrival at Hogwarts, and I shall expect your Owl soon afterwards.”

 

Her laughter followed him as he turned away, robes billowing, and Apparated on the spot.  

 

“Wow…  Mum!  Did you see that?  He just _disappeared_!  Do you think that was like teleportation?  Do you think I’ll learn that?”

 

She grinned down into excited emerald eyes and her fingers found their home in his hair, “Of course, sweetheart.  Maybe not anytime soon, though.  Perhaps when you’re older?”

 

He pouted up at her, “It’ll take ages then to learn to teleport!”

 

“I’m sure it’ll pass by quick enough, Harry dear.  Now, come along, let’s explore a bit, hm?”

 

He grinned, his slight pique disappearing, and he bound forward, still keeping himself within her sight, eagerly looking into window shops and observing all the strange people walking up and down the street. 

 

She walked behind him, a bit slower, and allowed herself to absorb all the strange discrepancies between this world and… _Harry’s_.  Who would have thought that all those things she had once dreamed up were real after all?  The bigger question was, how was she going to break the news to Petunia without having Petunia start to look into institutions to commit her?    

 

Suddenly, she ran right into someone, causing her to fall backwards with a slight yelp.  Before she could land disgracefully on her rump, strong arms caught her and she looked up into the light brown eyes of her savior, framed by messy dark hair and round, golden spectacles.  Sheepishly, she waited until she was straightened and on her feet before she said, “Thank you so much for catching me!  Sorry, I wasn’t really paying attention to where I was going, bit caught up in my thoughts, it happens sometimes, a bit too often if you ask my sister.” 

 

The man grinned at her, teeth gleaming, and said, “No trouble at all.  I hardly think it’s a trouble to have such a beautiful woman trip all over herself just to say hi to me.”

 

Her eyes narrowed and she pushed her hair back from her face, straightening up in annoyance, “ _Excuse me_?” She looked him up and down and called up the sneer she recalled seeing on Severus’ face, “There’s really nothing _there_ for to want to say ‘good riddance,’ much less ‘hi.’” 

 

The man’s eyes widened and he stepped forward, “Ah, no, I’m so sorry!  I didn’t mean it like _that_.”

 

“What _did_ you mean then?”

 

“Honestly, Prongs, I leave you for five minutes and you manage to piss off a beautiful lady.  Have you learned _nothing_?” 

 

“… Mum?  What’s going on?”

 

Lily’s face immediately softened from the rising anger and she looked back to notice a good-looking man with curly dark hair and piercing blue eyes standing close to her little angel, who looked incredibly confused and uncomfortable. 

 

“Oh, nothing, angel.  Just your mum being clumsy, like always.”

 

Harry grinned and walked up to her to grab her hand, “Hm, no surprise then, huh?”  He looked up at the two men who were standing side-by-side now, watching the two of them in various degrees of surprise, “Who are you two then?  You should apologize and be on your way, we have better things to do than deal with riff –”

 

“Harry!  Honestly, I should _never_ have let you alone with Petunia for so much of your childhood!”  She looked up with apologetic eyes and said, “Sorry, this is my son, Harry, and my name is Lily.  It was nice to meet you, strange circumstances and all.”

 

The man with the brown eyes stepped forward with a smile and extended his hand, “James Potter, it’s nice to meet you.  Are you and your son new here?  Would you like a tour with us?  Oh, this is Sirius Black, by the way, my Auror Partner.” 

 

Sirius grinned and Lily smiled back, “Oh, I wouldn’t want to trouble you.  We are new, but my son and I were just planning on walking around and grabbing dinner before heading home.”   

 

“It would be no trouble, honest!  Plus, I should apologize for being such an arse– er, terrible person.  Let me buy the two of you dinner.”

 

Sirius’ eyebrows raised and he looked at James from the corner of his eyes, taking in his earnest eyes on the beautiful woman with the suspicious kid. 

 

Harry just glared and opened his mouth to decline, but Lily smiled and said before Harry could, “Thank you.  We’d like that.”

 

Harry pouted, but followed along willingly enough.  Surprisingly enough, the dinner was enough to thaw away Harry’s inherent suspicion of all men near his mum, and Lily’s annoyance fled in the face of James’ laughing eyes and Sirius’ jokes.

 

It was an enjoyable night that ended in the hopes for _more_ for two of the four.  

 

***

 

Her eyes were filled with tears and they were unabashedly streaming down her face as she wrapped her arms around Harry and refused to let go, “My _baby_.  I remember when you were just born and you were placed in my arms!  You were so wrinkly and red, with the loudest cry I had ever heard… but you stole my heart, Harry Michael Porter!  What will I do without you around for four months!  I could barely handle the eight-hour school days… I need my daily Harry fix!”

 

Harry started pushing against his mum and rolling his eyes, even as his ears burned with embarrassed pleasure.  He glanced over to his right and pleaded with his eyes for Aunt Petunia to do _something_ about the red-haired menace that was his mother. 

 

Petunia laughed even as she grabbed Lily and started to pull her back, “You have letters, right?  Owls, that’s what you said?  Honestly, Lily, Harry is eleven now and you’re mortifying him in front of all his new classmates!  Have some decorum, _please_.”  

 

“But _Tuney_!  My baby boy!”

 

“Honestly… she’s thirty-one and still acts like a three-year-old…  It’s rather sad when your own _child_ is more mature than you, Lily Marie.”

 

Harry grinned and let out a giggle, “Mum, did you hear that?  Aunt Petunia thinks I’m more _mature_.”

 

“Perhaps I should take it back then, young man.”

 

“No, please don’t do that!  Why didn’t Dudley come and see me off, Aunt Petunia?”

 

“Oh, he got unexpectedly sick last night and I didn’t want him to give it to you when you’re starting your school year.  He wanted me to tell you to write him lots of letters and that you had better not leave anything out… he also asked to send him sweets if you could, but I’d rather you didn’t, Harry Michael.  You know what the doctor said about Dudley’s health!  He has a propensity for obesity and I’d rather he not die early of heart failure.” 

 

He grinned unrepentantly up at his Aunt, “Of course, Aunt Tuney.  Whatever you say, Aunt Tuney.”

 

She rolled her eyes and lightly cuffed him on the back of his head, “You cheeky brat.  Just like Lily, you are.  I wish you had a bit more of your dad in you, now _there_ was an admirable man.”

 

Lily smiled a watery smile and ran her fingers through her son’s silky hair, “Make sure you eat fruits and vegetables at every meal, okay?  Wash behind your ears and do your homework as _soon_ as you get it!  You know how your dad felt about procrastinating, Harry, so please don’t, okay?  Talk to your professors and ask for extra help if you need it.  I won’t say I’ll be disappointed if you’re not in the top five, but I _will_ be shocked and forced to come down to a building I can’t see cause I’m not magical and demand for your professors to re-grade you because surely that’s not _my son’s_ grades!  After all, I know I’m too brilliant for you to not have gotten at least twenty-five percent of my brain!”

 

“ _Mum_.”

 

“Okay, okay, owl me every day, okay?  Okay, fine, at least twice a week!  Make lots of friends and have _fun_.  This is a great school and you have _magic_.  It doesn’t get much cooler than that, now does it?”

 

Harry grinned up at his mum, even as his stomach rolled at the thought of not seeing her for _so long_ , “No, it doesn’t get cooler than that.”  He stepped forward and fiercely hugged his mum and whispered into her strawberry-scented hair, “I love you lots, mum.  You’re the only woman for me.”

 

Lily smiled and hugged him back just as tightly, “I love you too, my little man, and you’re the only one for me.” 

 

He stepped back and towards his Aunt, hugging her just as tightly and whispering his love for her, the both of them pretending as though they didn’t see the tears in the hazel eyes spilling over.    

 

With one last wave, Harry disappeared into the crowd at Platform 9 ¾ and then stepped onto scarlet train, looking back at them just once more, taking in his mum’s brilliant red hair waving in the wind caused from the rushing bodies and his Aunt’s pearl glove gripping onto Lily’s coat sleeve for a bit of comfort.

 

He loved them, they loved him, and he almost wanted to run back into his mum’s arms and never let go… but there always comes a time when change comes knocking, wings are grown and spread, and one is thrust into the world on shaky legs.

 

It was Harry’s time.

 

***

 

Wandering through and looking at the full compartments, Harry felt incredibly out of place.  He wasn’t really used to being so very… alone.  He usually had his mum, Aunt Petunia, Uncle Henry, or Dudley, if not, then any of his school friends.  Here, though, was a place with unfamiliar faces, in a completely different world, and Harry was most definitely an outsider.  At least, for now.

 

He finally noticed a partly empty compartment and slid open the door and smiled shyly at the blond-haired boy sitting on the seat, a toad squirming in his hands.

 

“Hello, my name is Harry Porter.  Would you mind if I joined you?”

 

The other boy’s cheeks bloomed pink, but he shook his head and replied, slightly stuttering, “N-no, I w-wouldn’t mind at all!  My name is N-Neville Longbottom, pleased to meet you.” 

 

He extended his hand and Harry shook it firmly, already finding his feet below him in the face of this extremely shy boy who looked as though Harry muttering ‘boo’ would scare the boy into unconsciousness.   

 

“How are you feeling about Hogwarts then?  Isn’t it amazing that this train will take us to a _magical_ school?  In Scotland, of all places!  Really, though, considering all the mystery of Scotland, with the fog, the Loch Ness Monster, and everything else, perhaps it’s not _such_ a mystery… What do you think, Neville?  Are you excited?”

 

“W-well, yes, I am.  I actually didn’t think I’d get to go to Hogwarts like my parents…”

 

“Oh?  Why is that?”

 

Neville’s face went a dark red and he bashfully lowered his head to look at his shoes before muttering, “My whole family was convinced I was a Squib.  No one thought I’d have enough magic to make it to Hogwarts!”

 

Harry cocked his head in question, “What is a Squib?  It doesn’t sound nice…”

 

Neville looked up and smiled softly, “Are you a Muggleborn then, Harry?”  At Harry’s nod, Neville continued kindly, “It’s sort of similar.  A Muggleborn is a magical child born to non-magical parents.  A Squib is a non-magical child born to magical parents.  Pureblood families often disown the child and have them sent into the Muggle world, which is how some people suspect Muggleborns come about, when Squibs marry Muggles and the magic gets passed on until there’s enough for a Muggleborn to come into existence.”

 

Harry grinned, “Wow, you’re smart, Neville!  And I’m sorry your family made you feel that way, Neville.  It’s alright, you _did_ make it to Hogwarts, so hold your head up and show them that you have more than enough magic to knock them on their arses!”  Harry’s eyes widened and he looked around fearfully before collapsing into his seat, “Phew… I forgot my mum couldn’t hear me.  She has ears like a bat, you know!  Anytime I slip a curse word, she _knows_ and then my mouth tastes like soap for a _week_!” 

 

Neville giggled at Harry’s disgusted expression and said, “Your mum sounds nice, Harry.”

 

Harry nodded and relaxed into his seat, “Yeah, she’s the best.  She wasn’t really surprised when the Professor showed up and said I was a wizard.  She always told me about stories where I’d turn my hair blue and stuff, and weird things always happened around me anyways, so we had just gotten used to it.  _Then_ , I get my letter and suddenly there’s a reason for it all and the reason is I’m _magical_!  Isn’t that just the most amazing thing, Neville?”  

 

He grinned at Harry’s awestruck expression and nodded excitedly, “Magic _is_ awesome, Harry.  Did you know that there’s a plant that thrives in darkness and crushes you slowly to death?  It’s called Devil’s Snare, it’s a magical plant and rather amazing.  There’s also plants that can make this high pitched noise that can cause you to pass out or die, they also grow and have to become ‘mature’ before you can use them.  They’re called Mandrakes.  Isn’t _that_ fascinating?”

 

Harry laughed and nodded, “That is pretty cool, Neville!  I never thought plants could be exciting, but that really is!” 

 

They were still laughing even as the compartment door slid open and Draco and two other boys shouldering him came into view.

 

Harry looked up and smiled at Draco, recognizing him from his trip to Diagon Alley, “Hello, Draco Malfoy, wasn’t it?”

 

Draco sneered at Neville and then looked back at Harry, “Yes, but you never introduced yourself to me.”

 

“Oh!  Sorry about that, sometimes I forget.”  He stood up and grinned at Draco, extending his hand for a shake, “I’m Harry Porter, nice to meet you, Draco.” 

 

Draco shook his hand and then said, “Would you like to join my compartment… Harry?  Since you don’t know, I’ll tell you.  You have to be careful who you befriend if you want to get places in the Wizarding World, Harry.  Come with me and I can tell you all the right people to associate with.”

 

Harry’s eyebrows furrowed and he glanced back at Neville, who was rapidly resembling a tomato and watching the proceedings nervously, before firmly standing his ground, “That’s alright, Draco.  Neville and I are already friends.  I can figure out the right sort of people by myself, thanks.”  He smiled and said kindly, “Maybe another time, Draco?” 

 

Draco’s face went pink and he straightened up indignantly, enough so that he could look down at Harry, and bit out, “Are you refusing my friendship, Harry Porter?”

 

Harry paused before shrugging nonchalantly, “I’m not refusing your friendship, Draco, I’m just saying that I can figure out who I want to be friends with just fine.  I do possess a brain all my own, been growing it the past eleven years and everything.”

 

Neville stifled a laugh at Harry’s comment and Harry grinned at Neville before turning back to Draco’s rapidly reddening face, “… I see, Porter.”

 

Without another word, Draco and the other two heavyset boys followed him out, the door sliding shut with a _bang_.

 

Harry shrugged again and sat back down, “Well, that was weird.  Anyways, Neville, tell me, is it true that wizards and witches _actually_ fly on brooms?”

 

***

 

“ _My_ brothers said that we might have to battle a troll to figure out which House we’ll be Sorted into!”

 

Harry snorted under his breath and turned to Neville, who was paling at the thought of battling a troll, “Neville, I highly doubt that school can afford to pay the legal consequences if they had a bunch of eleven year olds battle a troll.  Don’t worry, that’s _definitely_ not how they Sort us.”

 

Neville smiled back at Harry, basking in Harry’s aura of confidence, and nodded. 

 

That was when the lady, a Professor McGonagall, who had come to greet them opened the doors of the Great Hall and Harry, and the other First Years, finally caught sight of the magnificence of Hogwarts. 

 

Harry stared in awe, along with the others, at the starry night sky that was the ceiling of the Great Hall, chandeliers floating down and filling the Hall with a warm feeling of being welcomed _home_ , and the tables of students who smiled and waved or simply nodded in greeting.

 

It was overwhelming, fantastic, scary, and amazing.  Harry was spellbound by it all. 

 

He hardly noticed as one-by-one, people were called up once the Sorting Hat had finished its song, only paying attention once more when he heard a “Longbottom, Neville!”  He grinned encouragingly at Neville and slightly pushed him forward.  Soon enough, Neville was Sorted into Gryffindor and Harry grinned wider and clapped enthusiastically for his first friend at Hogwarts. 

 

Malfoy, unsurprisingly, was Sorted into Slytherin before the Hat even fully touched his head.

 

Finally – _finally_ – it was Harry’s turn, and he eagerly walked towards the Hat and allowed for the Professor to place it on his head once he was seated.

 

“Ah, Mr. Porter, what an interesting individual you are.  Interesting in that you could easily fit in anywhere, couldn’t you?  You have the bravery of the Gryffindors, since you would easily jump in to rescue any friend you make, which also makes you a possible Hufflepuff.  You’ve inherited a thirst for knowledge as well, though that is more bred than natural, so perhaps Ravenclaw wouldn’t be the best choice, but it is a possibility.  Finally, you have a thirst to be someone, an ambition to be someone your mum can be proud of, and perhaps this is the greatest desire of yours, isn’t it, Mr. Porter?”

 

Harry smiled to himself and said, “It doesn’t matter where I go, Mr. Sorting Hat.  Wherever you think is best, since that _is_ your job.”

 

The Sorting Hat made a sort of noise that almost sounded like a chuckle before replying, “Right you are, Mr. Porter.  Very well…”  Out loud, and to the rest of the Hall, the Hat said, “Better be Slytherin!” 

 

Harry pulled off the Hat with a grin and handed it to the lady Professor and eagerly joined the other First Years at the Slytherin Table, seating himself next to Draco with a smile, wondering absentmindedly why Draco was pinking up all of a sudden. 

 

He cheered as more were Sorted, until finally “Zabini, Blaise” was Sorted and the Headmaster stood up to share his ‘words.’  Harry snorted along with his Housemates and eagerly dug into the Feast, since he had hardly eaten breakfast due to nerves.  He listened in as Draco talked about his father, then he eventually grew bored of the bragging and instead turned to his left and introduced himself, “Hello, my name is Harry Porter, and you’re Theodore Nott, right?”

 

The brown-haired boy quirked an eyebrow at him, but nodded and said, “Yes, I am.”

 

Harry grinned and said, “The food is rather fantastic, isn’t it?  Though I’m tempted to say my mum’s food is better, which would just be due to my bias and perhaps a bit of homesickness, but that’s nothing more than I expected, of course.”

 

Nott looks at him curiously as he sips from his goblet of pumpkin juice and says, “You’re an odd one, Porter.  Maybe you’re a bit more interesting than I had first thought though.  You have possibilities.”

 

Harry chuckled, “Call me Harry, and I’d like to think I’m the most interesting person there is, but then I’d probably end up meeting someone way more interesting than me, so why tempt Fate, huh?  I’ll just keep those thoughts to myself then.”

 

The boy across from Nott, an Italian boy with dark hair and intense eyes, snorted and looked up with amusement, “Nott’s right, Porter.  You’re an odd addition to the House of Slytherin.” 

 

Draco, annoyed, poked him in the side and asked, “What are you doing, Harry?  You didn’t hear me mention anything about my Quidditch Pitch at home!”

 

Harry turned back and grinned with a shrug, “Sorry, Draco, I got caught up talking to some interesting people.  I thought Goyle, Crabbe, and Parkinson were providing all the audience you needed, besides.”

 

Draco’s face went red and he huffed in indignation, “What exactly are you suggesting, Harry?  That my conversation was not… _interesting_ enough for you?”

 

Harry shrugged and said, “Of course I’m not implying anything, Draco.”  He turned back towards Nott and Zabini and said, “So, what do you think classes will be like?  I have half a mind to wonder if any of our professors will be magical creatures, like a _werewolf_ or something, but apparently not, since all the professors at the Head Table look depressingly human, don’t you think?”

 

The three of them ignored the angry mutters coming from Draco, who sat fuming in his seat.  _So, Porter would rather hang out with those two than him?  Well, Draco wasn’t a Malfoy for nothing!  He’d show him that Draco was all that Harry needed!_

 

Zabini smirked, “Do you think you can tell a werewolf by simply looking, Porter?  We’ll find out when we get to class, of course.”

 

“Call me Harry, Zabini.  Of course I’m not saying that I’m judging by looks or anything, I’m just saying they all appear rather boring and that’s rather depressing considering we’re in a magical school!”

 

“Blaise then, and I suppose you’re a Muggleborn?”

 

“Of course, but what does that have to do with anything?  You’re avoiding answering my question, Blaise.”

 

“Call me Theodore, and perhaps Blaise simply wanted to avoid telling you that it’s always better to have low expectations so there’s a chance to be pleasantly surprised if more than expected occurs.”

 

“But that’s so… _depressing_.  Why would I not have high expectations?  I’m a wizard, surely I can find some way into making what I want to happen if it doesn’t on its own!”

 

Blaise side-eyed Theodore and nodded to himself, “Well, there’s our answer as to why he’s here at our table.”

 

***

 

It was officially a month and a half since Lily had seen her precious son off at King’s Cross and she was unsurprised by how much she _ached_ with missing Harry. 

 

The twice weekly letters came, of course, brought by Harry’s owl, Hedwig, but it just simply wasn’t _enough_.   

 

It did please her immensely that Harry was adjusting so well.  He had made friends with kids named Blaise, Theodore, and a Neville who was in Gryffindor but they were still best friends apparently.  Harry gushed about Potions, which Severus taught, and how similar it was to cooking… only ‘ _deadlier_ ’.  His exact words, of course.  He mentioned how well the first flying class went and how some boy named Draco was always staring at him and trying to make conversations and challenging him to duels or flying competitions when Harry was hanging out with his friends, which made Harry feel bad for rejecting him but Harry would rather hang with his friends than deal with _that_ drama.  Harry also mentioned Transfigurations, Charms, and History class.  He liked the first two, but the latter was one he had to try _really_ hard not to fall asleep in, even if the professor was a ghost.  Luckily, he had Neville in Herbology, since that was also sort of not as interesting, but Neville made it interesting.  Defense, though, was his favorite, even though the professor talked about trolls a lot and seemed more interested in traveling for his research projects than teaching a class of first years, it was still interesting to Harry.    

 

All in all, Harry loved Hogwarts.  Which made Lily happy, of course it did, it was just sort of annoying how her son didn’t seem to miss Privet Drive, Tuney, Dudley, Henry, or _Lily_ as much as they missed Harry!  Rather rude of him, if you asked her. 

 

Luckily, Severus kept her updated rather regularly and their friendship had grown due to it.  They had a lot in common, what with her being a high school Chemistry teacher and him a Potions Professor, and often complained about wading through the cesspool of hormones and the very few students who took a genuine interest in their chosen career. 

 

Severus had confided in her that he had, originally, no desire to be a professor, since his temperament is not one for teaching ‘dunderheads,’ as he put it, but due to a need for a stable job, he had accepted the teaching position.  He hopes, once his contract is finished, to start up his own apothecary and create new potions that his position as a professor did not allow him the time for. 

 

Lily had said that she was happy with her teaching position, even if it was thankless and high schoolers were incredibly annoying, but she thought she would have to take up another job to pay for Harry’s Hogwarts education.  When she mentioned her concerns to Severus, he promptly informed her of a scholarship that Harry could be eligible for, which he was since he was Muggleborn and from a single parent household.  With money no longer as big of a concern, Lily could go on teaching and wallowing at home, missing Harry.   

 

Perhaps it was the ache from missing the better part of her that spurred her into a visit into Diagon Alley.  Now that she knew the way and had already seen the place, her eyes could easily take in the magic, though apparently this was due to the influx of Muggle parents and would not be true for all magical places.  It made Lily wonder if there was a way for her to be able to see her son’s world, maybe a potion?  If there was anyone who could make it, it would be Severus.  She would have to mention, just to know, because she would definitely want to take her son on a tour of the magical world once he graduated, since the original plan had been to travel anyways, so why not include the magical world as well?  Though it wouldn’t be nearly as fun if Lily couldn’t see any of it!

 

“Lily, is that you?”

 

Lily turned around, startled, then smiled at James, Sirius, and a tawny haired male with a scarred face who stood behind the two, “James and Sirius!  How nice to see you two.  Are you out in Diagon Alley for your lunch break?”

 

James nodded and then gestured towards the unknown man, “Yes, we are.  This is our friend, Remus Lupin.  All three of us went to Hogwarts together and were in the same House as well.”

 

Lily grinned at Remus and held out her hand towards him, “Hello, Remus, my name is Lily Porter.  I met James and Sirius when I took my son shopping a few weeks ago, for his school supplies.”

 

Remus smiled kindly at her, “The pleasure is all mine, Lily.  It must have ruined the trip for you if you ran into these two then.”

 

Lily giggled at the offended faces James and Sirius sent towards Remus, who simply kept his calm smile on his face, completely unaffected by his friends’ ire.    

 

Sirius shared a glance with Remus and smiled charmingly at Lily, “Would you like to join us for lunch, Lily?  There’s this new restaurant that just opened and we were heading there.  It apparently fuses Muggle food with Wizarding food, so I’m sure you’ll like it, if it lives up to the reviews at least.”

 

She smiled at Sirius and let herself be lead along by Sirius, “That sounds good to me, Sirius.  It would look better than sitting by myself in the Leaky Cauldron and wallowing, anyways.”

 

James held the restaurant door open for her and looked at her questioningly, “Wallowing?  What’s wrong, Lily?”

 

Lily let out a huge sigh but waited to be seated before saying, “I miss Harry!  I’ve never gone so long without seeing his sweet face!  Petunia is completely fed up with me, so I figured a change of scene would be good, but this place just reminds me of sending him off all on his own!” 

 

The three of them laughed but sobered up when Lily glared at them.  James smiled at her and said, “I’m sure he misses you too, but he might not realize how much until you see him for Yule, er, Christmas break.”

 

“Yule?  Is that what you celebrate instead of Christmas then?”

 

Remus nodded and inserted, “Yes, it is a Wizarding holiday, though Hogwarts has become Muggle and Muggleborn friendly, so Christmas is celebrated at the school.  Traditions and Wizarding holidays are falling into decline as a result, since so many of the students don’t know, only pureblood children continue to learn of the traditions.”

 

Lily gasped lightly and asked, “Oh, why don’t they teach the Muggleborns and keep up the traditions then?  We were told this is a different _world_ , Harry’s world, and I figured there would be traditions and customs we would have to learn, but we weren’t told any and even Harry hasn’t mentioned it.”

 

“The current Headmaster wants to welcome Muggleborns and have them feel welcomed, and these traditions and holidays can often come off as antiquated and backwards, so he felt it would be better to have more familiar holidays.  Tom Riddle, of course, is combatting this utter lack of knowledge and campaigning for a complete upheaval for the Wizarding World, if he’s elected as Minister in the upcoming elections, of course.  If your Harry is interested, I’m sure James would happily teach him all he has to know about being a wizard.”

 

Lily turned and beamed at James, “Oh, would you, James?  Maybe over the summer, since I know myself well enough to know that I’ll be all but locking Harry in the house once I pick him up from the station.”

 

Sirius let out a bark of laughter and hit James on the back to spur him into responding rather than staring and smiling dopily at Lily, “O-Of course!  I would love to teach Harry and get to know him better.”

 

She smiled softly at James and murmured, their eyes on one another and forgetting the other two for a moment, “I would really like that, James.  How will I ever repay you?”

 

James’ face reddened, but his voice lowered and he murmured back, “I’ll keep your payment in mind and let you know just what I’d like in return.”

 

Their eyes remained locked on one another, not even realizing who was with them or where they were, and didn’t break away until the waitress appeared with their drinks.

 

That evening, after a wonderful lunch full of laughter and stolen glances, Lily went home smiling and wondering if maybe, just maybe, it was time for someone new in her life. 

 

***

 

Harry hadn’t realized just how much he had missed his mum and everyone else until he was on the Hogwarts train, heading back towards home.  This time his compartment was full, with Neville beside him and Blaise and Theo on the other seat, the four of them playing Wizarding Chess in teams and gossip – er, _discussing_ _in a manly fashion_ all that had happened this past term.  Like how Quirrell had disappeared in October after publically resigning in the Great Hall saying this teaching job wasn’t worth the time he was wasting when he could be in Albania researching vampires.  The teaching position had gone unfilled and their new Defense professor should, hopefully, be there after the break. 

 

Draco, of course, had continued to be strange in the way he’d demand Harry’s attention whenever he was with his friends and Harry would always have to politely reject him, especially since Draco made it so clear that he didn’t like Harry’s friends _at all_.  It was rather awkward and made Harry feel bad about saying he was friends with the blond but not being able to show it.  It came as no surprise, then, that Draco began to throw things into his Potions to sabotage them – luckily, Harry always knew how to counter it, which is why he knew Draco wasn’t doing it to be _enemies_ – and lightly shove him in the hallways whenever he was laughing with Neville or any of his other friends.  Harry felt Draco was allowed to feel insulted and hurt, which was why Harry fully planned on sending him a gift for Christmas, as an apology and as proof that Draco _was_ his friend.    

 

Professor Snape had called all the Muggleborns in Slytherin House at the beginning of October and given them a crash course in Wizarding etiquette and traditions, which Harry had found incredibly fascinating and enlightening, and he couldn’t wait to tell his mum all about it.  Now Harry knew how to act like a proper wizard, even if that red-haired boy from Gryffindor always muttered under his breath about Harry acting like a pureblood, like it was an insult and something to be ashamed of.

 

Professor Binns clearly needed to be exorcised, they all vehemently agreed, and Professor McGonagall was the only other professor they all liked, after Professor Snape for the Slytherins since Neville found the man to be _incredibly_ intimidating, though he was kinder to Neville – what, with Neville being Harry’s best friend and all, though only Severus knew why he was kind to the boy who would have exploded every potion if it weren’t for Harry.  Neville, of course, argued passionately for Professor Sprout, but the others said that was just because Neville loved Herbology, though the professor was really nice.  Professor Flitwick was also really good, though the class was a bit slow-going, since they had it with the Gryffindors and they had all taken a while to master _Wingardium Leviosa_.  Harry, privately, wondered if he could get Latin lessons during the summer, if they could afford it and all, so that he could catch up with his other housemates who were all Latin buffs, since they had been tutored in it since infancy it seems, some even claimed they had been read Latin to while still in the womb!      

 

The closer they got to King’s Cross station, the quieter the four got, until they were each staring out the window or lightly dozing.   

 

Finally, the train stopped and they gathered their trunks, promising to write to one another and making threats/promises that they’d love the presents they got for one another.  Once Harry stepped off the train though, his friends were forgotten in the face of his mum, her hair blowing in the wind and her green eyes glowing with happiness at the sight of him.  Forgetting all about the manners Professor Snape had instilled in him, he ran with his trunk to his mum, jumping into her arms and dropping the trunk in favor of wrapping them around her tightly and inhaling the smell of _home_. 

 

“Oh _Harry_ , I missed you so much!  Maybe I should just lock you up in our attic, I think you’ve learned enough magic, don’t you?”

 

Harry just laughed as he basked in the presence of his mum, knowing she was joking, even if she _did_ have a serious undertone to it. 

 

Eventually, they gathered Harry’s things and found themselves in the back of a cab, Harry still wrapped tightly around his mum.  Lily, too, had her arms around her little boy, who seemed to have grown a few inches and was fairly glowing with happiness.  They murmured occasionally to one another how much they had missed each other, but the trip went by largely silently, the two caught up in remembering the feel of each other again.  There would be time enough for all they had to talk about, after all.  They had a good month together, thank Merlin. 

 

…

 

“Harry!  You’ve gotten so big!”

 

He grinned up at his Aunt Petunia, even as he exchanged a resigned look with Dudley and a side hug with his Uncle Henry. 

 

Before long, he was up the stairs and in Dudley’s room, telling him all about Hogwarts and listening as Dudley talked about Smeltings.  The two cousins bonded over their shared misery of homework and boring professors, even if they were from entirely different worlds.

 

After all, some things, no matter what, just couldn’t break bonds of family, friendship, and love.  This relationship was one of them, come magic or high water.

 

Soon enough, they were seated and eating Christmas dinner, Harry basking in the attention being laved upon him, even as he blushed and turned it towards Dudley who would turn it right back on him, the utter git. 

 

Afterwards, they exchanged gifts and Harry and Lily walked back to their home, the first snowflakes floating down just as they stepped onto their porch.  They looked at one another and wordlessly stuck out their tongues to taste the snow, giggling into the night, knowing this was a night of laughter and hot chocolate, and tomorrow morning would be one of early risings and ripped wrapping paper.

 

***

 

The year started off with a Professor Remus Lupin being introduced as their new Defense professor.  The man exuded calm and seemed competent enough, which was soon proved to be true.  He had a clear fascination with magical creatures, but that was perfectly fine with Harry since Harry was enthralled just as much.  Soon enough, Defense became Harry’s most favorite class, though Potions was still interesting and he still earned high grades, it just didn’t cause him to stay up late reading his textbook and persistently going into the library to read up on further topics that weren’t discussed enough in his text. 

 

Otherwise, the year continued as it had begun: as a continuation of the term before. 

 

Draco had come up to him soon after break and thanked him graciously, even though he was blushing, for gifting him with an emerald ink and quill set.  Harry had smiled widely at him and said that it had been his pleasure, since they were friends and all.  Draco had smiled at him rather goofily and sort of walked away in a daze, not bothering Harry at all outside of class for a good month, other than to stare at him occasionally with an intense sort of stare.  Harry just shrugged those instances off though, since he didn’t really know _why_ , and figured it was cause Draco felt bad for not getting him a gift in return or something.  Who knew what went on in Draco Malfoy’s mind – not Harry, that was for sure. 

 

Hogwarts was still just as marvelous to Harry, even though, after his discussion with his mum, he had noted that there _was_ not enough discussion of Wizarding holidays or other traditions in the school, especially for the Muggleborns, since he had noticed that none of the other Muggleborns outside of Slytherin behaved with the manners Professor Snape had painstakingly taught them.  Luckily, Theo, Blaise, and even Neville were well-informed on all things wizard and eagerly helped him find books to read up on and talked to him about what they knew when he asked.

 

Harry was looking forward to what James would teach him, though he privately wondered why this man who had only met Harry once was willing to sacrifice his weekends during the summer to teach Harry about what all being a wizard entailed.  He was grateful, sure, but a little wary about why any unknown man would be so kind.  Severus and Uncle Henry made sense – Severus because he was Harry’s _professor_ and Uncle Henry because it was, well, _Uncle_ Henry.  James Potter’s unexpected kindness bewildered Harry, since he was so unused to it and unsure of the motivation behind the offer.  What exactly did James Potter want and why?  Furthermore, when had he even met up with mum to offer it? 

 

In any case, the year passed too quickly and soon it was time for exams, so all thoughts that were not related to his classes fell out of his head.  Even his letters to his mum and relatives dwindled, though they all sent him care packages without remark, other than encouraging comments on how brilliantly they knew he would do. 

 

Before he knew it, he had survived and was packing for home.  It was strange to see the dorm so empty of all his dorm-mates’ and his things, even if he knew they’d be back in September.  He was informed that Blaise, Theo, and Neville would owl him and they’d invite him to visit as soon as they could, and Harry reciprocated, even though he wasn’t sure how they’d take his utterly Muggle home.  It’s not like was ashamed of his upbringing, though, so he didn’t hesitate in his invitation, which they looked excited about in any case.

 

Before long, Harry was back on the train, on the way home, and then waving goodbye to his friends as he rushed towards his mum, Aunt Tuney, Dudley, and Uncle Henry who eagerly greeted him on the platform with hugs and happy smiles.

 

It had been a good year, all in all, Harry figured. 

 

*****

**Author's Note:**

> I was reading a fic where Snape was describing how he became friends with Lily and he mentioned how when he said Lily was a witch, Petunia got defensive cause she thought Lily was being insulted. I just fell in love with the idea of protective, older sister Petunia! Then I wondered to myself... what would have happened if Lily was just a muggle and Petunia had never became jealous? Thus, this fic was born :D 
> 
> (The fic I was reading was Changed by Sablesilverrain! You should totally read it <3 It's a Snarry! It has A/B/O dynamics and very well-written politics in the world she created!) 
> 
> I hope this fic gave you cavities from the utter fluffiness because writing it sure gave me several XD ;) 
> 
> The next update will include the rest of Harry's Hogwarts years, and the romance should be picking up very soon! ;) I split it up this way since the pre-Hogwarts/first year was pretty long on its own. The next part will have way more time skips. I thought this would just be a one-shot too! But it just got too big for me to comfortably keep it all in one chapter! But I'm keeping it a two-shot, for sure :D 
> 
> Please let me know what you think so far! I'd love to hear if you caught all the nuances of this AU and what you think of the characterizations! Especially of Lily and Harry :) :D


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